A VERY Busy Time

Glad that I said my posts might be few and far between. The trip is going extremely well but we are extremely busy!! I have been taking copious notes on our activities so will fill in the many blanks later.

Over the weekend, Denise and I spent time with friends here. We traveled to Suchitoto on Saturday. It´s a charming colonial town which was the site of a great deal of violence in the early ´80s. We were accompanied by a friend whose family lived there at that time. As we looked out over Embalse Cerron Grande (known as Lake Suchitlan), she spoke of how her family fled their home. I've heard the story before but it came to life as I looked out at the lake and mountains where it all took place. Although she was only 5, she has distinct memories of walking for months, only at night, with her parents, three younger brothers and grandmother to escape the military forces. She remembers the sounds of bombs and helicopters, and crossing the lake on launches that had so many people on them, they were at water level. The family had to abandon their property and lost all title to it. She is soon to graduate from the law school of the University of Central America (UCA), the Jesuit university in San Salvador. So, clearly the family´s journey has been a long one, thankfully with a happy ending.

On Monday, we received our observer credentials and then visited the UCA. This is where six Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter were murdered on November 16, 1989, an act that proved to be a turning point in the war. The fighting had recently come to San Salvador, the capital city. The Jesuits were renowned for their support of justice for the poor and, as such, it was deemed that they had to be silenced. What had not been properly anticipated was the fact that their murders would rally international support for an end to the violence. While it was more than two years before the Peace Accords were signed, the murder of the Jesuits was not in vain.

As you will learn in the next posting, we visited the U.S. Embassy on Tuesday. With my somewhat perverted sense of humor, I always find these visits to be interesting. Earlier Tuesday, a magistrate of the Tribunal Supremo Electoral spoke to us about this election and the issues and fears surrounding it.

Wednesday, we could opt for one of 11 field trips. I went to San Isidro, Cabanas (the same department where I observed in 2006) to visit a group fighting mining exploration and exploitation. The fact scenario is strikingly similar to the situation of mining at the head of the Clark Fork River in Montana, although they´re only beginning to feel the consequences. We also visited with a woman whose family has had a large farm for generations. They´ve been affected by the falling water table. In just the last few years, they have lost 500 orange trees, many other crops and are no longer able to raise cattle. A very pòwerful experience.

Today we met the non-Coloradans who will be part of our observer group: Julia Quincy from Connecticut and Cindel Redick from Michigan. (We were later joined by Campbell Webster, a Canadian journalist, who was embedded with our group!) We all participated in a full day of training on the voting process. Tomorrow, we´ll visit our voting centers for the first time. We are going to be in Antiguo Cuscatlan, a suburb of San Salvador. This is the first time that I´ve not not had to travel so it will provide a new experience.
Not sure when I´ll be near a computer again. Please know that I´m happy and well. Thanks for your support!

Abrazos y amor,
hem